Bobbie Smith, LBUSD’s first Black board member, dies at 90
While serving on the LBUSD board for 16 years, Smith championed school uniforms, standards-based instruction and other groundbreaking ideas that earned her national recognition.
County mistakenly sent school board candidate a certificate saying she’d been elected
Local officials are blaming the mistake on a proofreading error and confusion over shifting election dates.
LBUSD will ask voters to approve $1.7 billion bond measure in November
This is the third time in the last 15 years that the district has asked voters to approve a bond measure, which the LBUSD says is needed to modernize campuses.
As enrollment declines, LBUSD resolves to set aside money to avoid layoffs
LBUSD enrollment remains steadily shrinking, with a longtime decline of 2% annually reaching 3% each of the last two years. Each percentage drop represents a loss of $7-8 million in funding from the state.
Ex-teacher accused of sex abuse seeks to block release of employment record
A former student’s lawsuit says a computer teacher at Hughes Middle School groped her and groomed other students. He says details of his time at the campus should be kept private.
Gardening festival gives Poly students access to tools, information on mental health
A special education teacher and her students created an inclusive garden and mural space at Poly. Now they’re putting it to use.
School officials warn of fentanyl-laced pills following accidental overdoses in LA County
There’s been growing concern that large amounts of ecstasy pills contaminated with fentanyl are circulating in the LA-area drug market.
Long Beach Unified School board race sees incumbent in lead
In the race for Long Beach Unified School Board District Area 5, longtime incumbent Diana Craighead was leading challenger Melissa Pittscutler with 65% of the vote.
Hand, foot and mouth disease outbreak at preschool prompts temporary closure
This was the first closure of a district campus due to hand, foot and mouth disease in recent memory, according to an LBUSD spokesman.
Thousands of Long Beach students walk out in protest of gun violence
“We want the city, the district and the whole country to know that our future generation feels really strongly about this and we’re not going to stop fighting for this.”